Word for the day by Christian Education Forum

Lord, You Are Worthy of Adoration 
 Daniel 6: 19 – 28
Mathew George

Carmel MTC, Boston

“....For he is the living God,  enduring forever. His kingdom shall never be destroyed,  and his dominion has no end.  27. He delivers and rescues,  he works signs and wonders in heaven and on earth;”

 
Ah, the word Adoration… one of the most beautiful words in English literature…. Adoration (Latin) means respect, reverence, strong admiration, or devotion in a certain person, place or thing. It is one of the most natural thing that we do as humans. We can witness this from the fans at football games, cheering and chanting when the player's score and especially when their favorite team wins a close game.

However, in the life of a Christian, true adoration is reserved for God Almighty, the maker of heaven and earth, who gives us life everlasting, provisioning us with His abundant Grace and sustaining us in our daily life. When we adore God, a true transformation takes place in us. We are no longer held captive to the concerns of our daily life; our hearts are lifted up to the heavens. We can stay at that transcendent level, lifting up our faces to see the majesty of God Almighty. We can renew our spirit anew by the Grace of His presence, His holiness and loving kindness.

The book of Daniel teaches us the profound lesson that God works through the lives of ordinary people to accomplish His desires. Earthly kingdoms may rise and fall, but God and His Word will last forever. The book of Daniel teaches us that if we will commit our lives to God, good will triumph over evil. In Chapter 6 we see that Daniel is now serving under a new king named Darius. Like many kings before him, King Darius soon came to recognize Daniel’s talents and wisdom. So Darius chose Daniel to be one of only three administrators who governed his kingdom.

The story continues that Daniel's enemies then devised a devious plan to have the king issue a royal decree that would result in the execution of anyone in the kingdom who would pray to any god but to him. We all know where this drama finally ends up – Daniel was thrown into the lion’s den. It was clear that King Darius did this cowardly act with regret but he had no choice.  In verse 16 we read that the king said to Daniel, “May your God, whom you serve continually, rescue you”. The king knew Daniel’s faith in God. When Daniel was facing this crisis, the pagan king said in effect, Daniel, “your God will see you through this”.
Verse 18 says that “the king returned to his place and spent the night without eating…And he couldn’t sleep”. Each one of us knows that experience; that is, we can’t sleep when we are so worried.

There are two lessons Daniel’s experience teaches us –
1. God’s tests are often designed to confront us with the reality of our own limitations. Humanly speaking, Daniel’s situation was hopeless, he was thrown into the lion’s den. But Daniel’s close relationship with God gave him the courage to face this grievous situation with courage. It appears that the lion’s den is as much a story of King Darius as well, an unwilling participant who is unable to compromise with his own decision.

2. God’s tests are intended to lead us into deeper levels of dependence on Him. Throughout the Scriptures, we learn that trials in life are to be responded to, not by hiding from them, but by drawing nearer to God in faith. We can rest assured that there are nothing in life that we can’t overcome if we have the utmost faith in God.

PRAYER

Father, we adore You. Search our hearts, help us to see the areas where our faith is lacking. Let our plans be Your plans so that we can walk and live in the abundant life You have prepared for us. Amen.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:
 
“Be great believers! Little faith will bring your soul to heaven, but great faith will bring heaven down into your soul”.Charles Spurgeon

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